William Shakespeare背景知识.docVIP

William Shakespeare背景知识 I. Basic Info. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born to John Shakespeare and mother Mary Arden some time in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. There is no record of his birth, but his baptism was recorded by the church, thus his birthday is assumed to be the 23 of April. His father was a prominent and prosperous alderman in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, and was later granted a coat of arms by the College of Heralds. All that is known of Shakespeares youth is that he presumably attended the Stratford Grammar School, and did not proceed to Oxford or Cambridge. The next record we have of him is his marriage to Anne Hathaway in 1582. The next year she bore a daughter for him, Susanna, followed by the twins Judith and Hamlet two years later.  Seven years later Shakespeare was recognized as an actor, poet, and playwright, when a rival playwright, Robert Greene, referred to him as an upstart crow in A Groatsworth of Wit. A few years later he joined up with one of the most successful acting troupes in London: The Lord Chamberlains Men. When, in 1599, the troupe lost the lease of the theatre where they performed (appropriately called The Theatre), they were wealthy enough to build their own theatre across the Thames, south of London, which they called The Globe. The new theatre opened in July of 1599, built from the timbers of The Theatre, with the motto Touts minds gait histrionic (A whole world of players). When James I came to the throne (1603) the troupe was designated by the new king as the Kings Men (or Kings Company). The Letters Patent of the company specifically charged Shakespeare and eight others freely to use and exercise the art and faculty of playing Comedies, Tragedies, Histories, Interludes, Morals, Pastorals, stage plays ... as well for recreation of our loving subjects as for our solace and pleasure.  Shakespeare entertained the King and the people for another ten years until June 19, 1613, when a canon fired from t